Page 22 of Wicked Love

“It’s Andy. Sometimes, a guy needs to get his ass kicked by his best friend when he can’t do it on his own.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. You asked me to keep it a secret and I did. I expected the same decency from you.”

“Girl, you did a number on him,” Anderson said.

“Just for the record, it was never my intention.”

“Same result. Please be gentle with his heart. Before you happened, we all thought he didn’t possess one.”

“It’s not mine to care for,” I added. “Joe is a big boy. He can do it all by himself.”

Anderson leaned toward a speechless Joe. “Sassy. Now I get it.”

Joe punched his shoulder. “Shut up, man.”

His friend chuckled. “And yet you spent countless hours telling me I should move on after Abby. How do you like being served the same medicine? Karma, man. I swear, you deserve every minute of your punishment.”

“It’s not the same.” Joe’s hand clamped his nape, looking anywhere but at us.

“It’s not for you to decide. I think you hit the jackpot here.”

I couldn’t follow their conversation anymore. Some insider joke I wasn’t part of.

“Go ahead, keep arguing. I’ll leave you to it and grab some food. I’ll meet you two later.”

I saw my mother laughing with her now-husband further on my right, so I steered to the left, reaching the bar in just a few strides.

I was nibbling on finger food when the air tensed around me. Without having to turn around, I could sense my mother standing behind me. From her hastening breaths, I knew she was pissed. Plastering a smile on, I pivoted until we faced each other.

“Mom. You look beautiful.” I chewed on a piece of cheese, trying to act as nonchalant as I could muster. “Want me to grab you champagne?”

If looks could kill, my mother would burn me alive. “Grace. What did you do to your dress? You… You… I can’t even find the words to tell you how furious I am with you right now. Is this some rebellious act because you crave attention, or are you out of your mind? Joe was supposed to match with Philip, and you and I were supposed to match. You disrespected both of us by destroying the gown I chose for you.”

“Mom.” I inhaled. How could I make her understand? “It was too tight. I couldn’t slip it over my head. I got stuck.”

Madness shaped her lips. “I don’t know what to do with you anymore, Grace. I’m tired of your acts of defiance. What did I do to deserve you as a daughter? Life would be much simpler if you were to listen to me once in a while. You had to ruin your gown. If you had taken the pills I bought for you and counted your calories like I instructed you to, we wouldn’t be fighting about it right now.”

“Mom. Stop. Do you hear yourself? Can’t you love me for me? The gown didn’t fit, and I used my creativity and talent to fix it. And I’m pretty pleased with the result. It looks fierce. And badass. Why can’t you just accept me as I am? For once, can’t you enjoy your night without trying to spoil mine? I will never look like you do, and I’m perfectly fine with it.”

“Grace, I’m so ashamed. You had to steal my thunder, didn’t you?”

“You think I craved the attention on me? On your wedding day? Clearly, you know nothing about me. I’m glad you found Philip, and if you’re happy, I’m happy for you. Is it too hard for you to accept?”

“You’ve never wanted me to be happy, Grace. All your life, you’ve disapproved of me and the men I’ve dated. Deep down, I think you envy me. You see how they all look at me, and you fear no one will ever give you the same attention.”

I blinked. “Mom, you’re delusional.”

She let out an angry sneer. “Me? Delusional? One day, you’ll thank me for teaching you how to take care of your body because it’s the first thing people see when they look at you. Why would they wish to get to know you better when you can’t do anything right?” She pointed to my face. “Your eyeliner is too thick. And your eyeshadow isn’t applied properly. It makes your left eye appear bigger. Don’t get me started on that cleavage of yours. Just because you think it’s your greatest asset doesn’t mean you gotta flaunt it for everyone else to see. And certainly not on my wedding day.”

“Are you serious?”

Her face turned an angry shade of red. “Do I look like I’m kidding? Is it all a big joke to you?”

I stayed mute as she kept complaining about the silliest details.

I had no more fight left in me, and my shoulders dropped in defeat. “Think what you want. I’m done trying to get you to approve of me or be proud of me.” Lifting my skirt with both hands to avoid tumbling, I ran away, unable to stop the flow of tears rolling down my cheeks.

I didn’t have to endure my mother’s treatment any longer. In less than a month, I’d be eighteen and free of her.